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Cybercriminals Targeting Restaurants and Hotels – Don’t Be a Victim! On Tuesday, Aug. 29, the Washington Hospitality Association met with representatives of the Seattle Office of Federal Bureau of Inspection

On Tuesday, Aug. 29, the Washington Hospitality Association met with representatives of the Seattle Office of Federal Bureau of Inspection (FBI) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle. The reason for this meeting was to alert us of a growing threat to the hospitality industry from cybercriminals.

Most of the hotel apps out there aren’t worth downloading onto your smartphones. At least that’s what researchers from business intelligence firm L2 Inc. found when they conducted a recent survey of 311 hotel brand apps. While hotel apps are abundant, very few are considered useful or essential. “L2 research found that the majority of hotel apps don’t crack the list of the top travel apps in the iTunes App Store, nor have they even been updated in 2017,” said Michael Silverman, senior client strategist at L2 Inc. (Skift)

Pumpkin spice is popping up earlier and in more foods and beverages than ever before, including coffee and baked goods at Dunkin’ Donuts and the popular Pumpkin Spice Latte that Starbucks will begin offering on Friday. The flavor signals fall, and while some welcome its arrival, others on social media say it’s too soon. (New York Times)

Peruvian cuisine is rapidly gaining popularity on the world stage as the country gains acclaim for its wealth of indigenous ingredients and eclectic culinary history. With regional dishes that range from hearty stews to refreshing ceviches and cultural influences including Japanese and Chinese, the food of Peru encompasses myriad ingredients, flavors and cooking styles. (SmartBrief)

Hurricane Harvey made landfall Friday, August 25 with its bands of thunderstorms pounding the southeastern portion of Texas – hitting Houston and the surrounding coastline. Only in recent hours has the rain

One of the great benefits of membership with Washington Hospitality is the Allied membership Community. Using energy efficiently is a sound business practice that improves profitability, reduces greenhouse gas emissions,

When McDonald’s Corp. reported surprisingly high, 3.9-percent same-store sales growth in the second quarter, it was widely believed to be bad news for its biggest competitors — The Wendy’s Co. and Burger King. The company even said so, with CEO Steve Easterbrook noting that the company “had begun to open up a gap with QSR sandwich competitors.” (Nation’s Restaurant News)

OpenTable books reservations at 43,000 global eateries and seats more than 23 million people each month, but the online restaurant reservations pioneer faces growing competition. Startups are wooing away restaurants with more attractive deals, and about two-thirds of diners still use the phone to make reservations, according to Yelp, which was once a partner to OpenTable but is now a rival. (New York Times)

Domino’s Pizza and Ford Motor Co. are partnering to try using a self-driving vehicle in pizza delivery. The testing will take place in Ann Arbor, Mich., home to Domino’s and 30 miles west of Ford’s headquarters in Dearborn. (MediaPost)

The fast-casual segment continues to grow as more restaurant brands with diverse offerings enter the market and diners increase the frequency of their visits. Consumers are dining at fast-casual eateries more often because they think their overall quality has improved and the food/beverage variety has improved, according to 2017 survey results presented in Datassential’s Fast Casual Keynote Report. (SmartBrief)

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The James Beard Foundation released its long list of semifinalists for its prestigious Restaurant and Chef Awards Thursday. The chefs, restaurateurs, restaurants and beverage professionals were selected from more than 20,000 online entries as well as from national and regional panels comprised of food and beverage writers and editors and past Beard Award winners. (Restaurant Hospitality)

Four of Union Square Hospitality Group’s newest restaurants and one Shake Shack location have gone cashless, a growing trend that comes with a learning curve for some customers. Only about 11% of US consumers prefer to pay for purchases with cash, according to credit card services firm TSYS, and operators say cash-free concepts allow staffers to focus on service. (Eater)

Supermarket operator Kroger has launched a Culinary Innovation Center in Cincinnati to focus on prepared food innovation and position itself as part of the restaurant industry. In-store restaurants were on track to grow 3.5% in 2017 and book sales of about $42.3 billion, according to an NRA report released last year. (WCPO-TV)

René started his career in hospitality at the age of 15 as a cook at a hotel in Zurich, Switzerland. Moving to Toronto (without even knowing English) and eventually to Seattle, Renaissance Seattle General Manager René Neidhart has been in hotel management for over two decades in Seattle. (Greater Seattle Business Association)

Each month, members of the Seattle Restaurant Alliance meet for industry updates, presentations on a hot topic and a discussion on a trending topic or best practices. Meetings are also a great place to strengthen your connection to fellow restaurateurs. All Seattle restaurant owners and managers are welcome.